Greenscreen Build Questions

V

vcfilms

Well-known member
Hey all, not sure if this is the best subforum to post in, so if you think I might get more hits in another one please let me know.

I'm looking for the advice of some pro's with greenscreen build/studio experience.

I am building a small/medium sized greenscreen cyc studio (about 40'x 25') and want to know about a few things. The ceiling height is 12-14ft, with some parts about 18' high (it's actually about 20' high, but there are some beams that run lower that block some of the height.) I'm looking to do this on a budget as I dont want to throw a tonne of money into but I definitely want to do it right, and properly as it is very important.

1. Is there a good paint for green/chroma that you can get from Home Depot or something cheap that works almost as well as the rosco stuff? Are there major advantages to using the rosco paint or will using something store bought be ok to start? We will be using good cameras and have a good lighting grid setup.

2. Which brings me to my lighting setup. The walls will be about 14-15ft high, and I want to light the screen evenly from above. I'm thinking of going with something like the kino 4ftx4 bank to light the greenscreen all the way around. Would this be good. I know the Kino Image would be best, but hey they are very expensive ;) So will the 4x4 be a good choice?

3. Laslty, we want to sound proof the studio as much as possible as we are building up the cyc and walls from scratch that shouldn't be too difficult. What is a good not too expensive sound proofing foam we should look at to do this?


Sorry for all the questions, but I like to get the feedback of knowledgeable people that have done this, and I always get great advice from dvx!

Thanks so much
 
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I don't think 4x4's would be the best choice. Ideally, a cyc is lit with cyc lights. These can be placed very close to the wall but still light it evenly. DeSisti makes a 55w biax cyc light, but traditionally these are tungsten lights. With a ceiling that high, heat isn't going to be as much of a concern as it can be in small cramped locations with tungsten lights.
 
If the actual fixtures must be close in to avoid shadows, then proper cyc lights are a must - simply because they have asymmetric reflectors, that throw more of the light to the bottom, and less to the top, helping to keep it similar brightness top to bottom.

Re: the paint. You can get paint at the diy store, but it doesn't have the impact of the Rosco product, and often needs more coats to cover.

Don't do what I did a few years back. I wanted blue - and couldn't justify the expensive Rosco product, so went to my friendly store and explained to the assistant. It appeared that the brightest blue was a huge squirt of blue, some grey, some yellow and a little dark colour. I asked him to just add extra blue to make up for the yellow/grey/dark volume - and leave those out. He wasn't keen and refused to be held responsible for the colour that came out , but I risked it and got the most amazing blue colour when the white base was mixed with it. I rollered the wall and felt very smug, having saved over 30 pounds! Next morning I had a shock. At the bottom was a blue mess, running over the floor, and at the top, the white undercoat was very bright. I called the paint company and asked what I'd done wrong. It turned out the yellow and grey stuff were not colours, but binders and other chemicals that allow the water to evaporate and the paint to 'set'. Without them, the paint stays liquid for days. I did have enough to keep re-coating BUT had to buy another 5L so Rosco would have been cheaper in the end!
 
Thanks for the info guys. So what is the difference between the 55w Biax Light and a Kino 55w Fluorescent? It makes sense that you would use a cyc light to light it. But I am a bit concerned with the heat during the summer months with that many tungsten bulbs on all day. Is tungsten the only viable option for a nice pefectly even lit cyc?

And yes, ideally the lights for the cyc/greenscreen wont cast shadows. I also dont want my lighting setup for the cyc to cost a small fortune. A couple grand is fine, but I would like to keep it reasonable to start out. I have plenty of lights already to light the talent/subjects with as I have an assortment of arri lights, kino's and led's.

And re: the paint, I am thinking that maybe Rosco paint would be the way to go, if it takes less coats and less headaches, probably wont save a lot of money by going the DIY route there.

Thanks for info, I really do appreciate you taking the time.
 
The DeSisti 55w biax light I mentioned takes the same exact lamps as some Kino Flos. None of the Kinos have the asymmetrical reflector like the DeSisti does though, that one will more easily light the greenscreen evenly from a close distance. These cost over a thousand dollars a piece though. The only way you'll get a complete setup for under 2 grand would be to go tungsten.
 
On the paint topic, you will need to do more than one coat with green, even if it's Rosco. When estimating the paint you'll need most places say that one gallon will get you 350 sq feet. Personally I have found that 300 sq feet is best to estimate when you need a good even coat with perfect saturation. Properly painting the wall is paramount. Prime it well. Kilz2 primer is the common hardware store brand in my area and it works great, just don't put it on too thick. If you can, spray it on, that'll keep it as flat (and I mean physically flat, not flat-vs-gloss flat) as rolling primer can sometimes lead to a slightly dappled texture. Let it dry and cure! All the way, don't rush it. I've seen too many people make this mistake because they were impatient. Read the label and take it seriously.

After the primer base coat the wall with hardware store green. Just something that is close to Rosco, does not need to be exact. You just want green base so the Rosco coat already goes on top of something that is in the right world. Again, let it dry and cure! Then do a coat of Rosco. Again, spray it on if you can, the results will be great.
 
Thanks for the advice guys! Solid info in there. And good advice on the paint, I think i'll do what you recommend danjenkins

Would the Arri mini-cyc's be good or are there better options for a similar price?
 
A few more questions. Are the DeSisti 55w biax lights as good as the tungsten equivalent for lighting the greenscreen evenly? What are most people doing for the floor in terms of material and lighting?
 
Ok, guys just a few last question about lighting. Is there a good place to ask these kind of questions? There doesn't seem to be too much info out there about cyc lighting and building a green screen and the stores I buy gear at aren't much help because I feel like they've never used a green screen before. They tried to tell me to just put up a bunch of LED's haha.

So I'm looking at these ones right now:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/387793-REG/DeSisti_4650_210_Cyc_De_Lux_2x55W.html

Are those the best option? I'd like to keep heat down but I'd also like to get the best most even lighting possible on the background and keep them relatively close to the wall if possible. I image I would place them around 5-6' apart from each other?

Those units have Asymmetrical reflectors, which seem ideal, but isn't light fall of towards the bottom curve going to still be relatively high?

The tungsten cyc lights are quite a bit cheaper, but I am a little concerned about heat on a long day in the studio. But is tungsten still a better option?


Sorry for the questions guys, just could really use some help from someone who knows this area well.

Thanks
 
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